IC cards are commonly constructed in accordance with standards of PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) which specifies a maximum card thickness of 5 mm for the most popular type of card, which is the Type II card. IC cards generally have a circuit board with a connector at the front end and with primarily sheet metal top and bottom covers. The standard front connector has 68 pins arranged in two rows, along a height of about 3.2 mm. One more recent advancement in IC cards is to provide a rear connector which enables the transmittal of data through the card into the electronic device which receives the card. Rear connector designs such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,045 occupy almost the entire 5 mm height of the rear of the card, with the circuit board being cut out to leave room for the rear connector. Although the front connector has 68 contacts, it is generally sufficient to provide less than half that number of contacts at the rear connector. It would be desirable if a rear connector for an IC device was available that occupied a minimum of space and was of especially simple design. Features of such connector would be desirable for other applications where a minimum of space is available, such as in portable telephones.
Recent developments in the construction of covers for IC cards include the provision of top and bottom covers with plastic peripheries that can be connected by ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic welding of plastic uses moderate cost equipment, as compared to the more expensive and less available spot welding equipment for solely sheet metal covers. The covers include sheet metal with the plastic periphery regions molded to the edges of the sheet metal. A simple rear connector which occupied a minimum of space and that could be readily formed in an IC card or other device with molded polymer peripheral regions would be of value.